บทถอดความฉบับเต็มของ Firefly - "Objects in Space" Review/Broadcast Obituaries S4E14 "The Good, The Bad, and The Early"

the final frontier, Star Trek five. That's one of my least favorite. What a bummer Aaron: yeah. Yeah. Rob: of a boring movie. Aaron: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nemesis was okay. I don't it was fine. Tom Hardy was cool. Young young Tom Hardy. Nope. Yeah. Rob: not great. Yeah, but Nemesis, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right, no one even knew who he was at that point. No, he was a fresh young face in Hollywood. I didn't even know who he was for a few years after that. Like he didn't really take off or catch on. But I didn't I didn't hate that movie. Yeah. Yeah. Where he had almost no lines. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. But now he's Mad Max. Very cool. Yeah. Rob: I thought the movie was fine. I it I didn't hate it. I mean it's not a good one, but it's Star Trek, I could still sit through it and watch it. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: you know, it was a fine experience. I don't know. What do you think? Did you like it? Aaron: It was fine. Yeah, I mean, it's forgettable for me. Like every time Rob: Yeah. Aaron: I watch it, it's almost like the first time because I don't know how much I'm actually paying attention when I watch it. So Rob: Yeah. Aaron: but there's things that I liked about it. I like I like Tom Hardy. I like the earworm, right? They take over. What's his name? Mind control him with the creature. So. Yeah. Picard. Rob: Yeah. Yeah. What's his name? Mind control him with the thing. Yeah. Aaron: Right? They take, capture Picard and they're trying to get codes out of them, I think. Yeah. So it was fine. It was fine. Rob: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I thought it was okay. I was mostly I was disappointed with the ending of Data's storyline Aaron: Mm-hmm. Rob: and that we never got a resolution to it in a follow up movie, which they would have done. So Data Aaron: Yeah. How did it end? How did it end for him? Rob: He was destroyed. Like Data was destroyed. And they Aaron: You're right. Rob: had like a an early version of him, B four, I think. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: And at the end of the episode, like they were trying to work on B four, and I think he was like humming a song that Data had been humming, implying that perhaps Data downloaded himself Aaron: himself. Yeah. Rob: into B four or that they could retrieve his memories somehow and reap basically turn him into B four, but Data himself was destroyed. Which is why when we get Aaron: Yeah. Rob: to the Picard TV series years later, Picard had data in a box, basically. Like he had all his different pieces all locked Aaron: Yeah. Rob: up in a trunk or something. I don't remember the exact specifics around it because Aaron: Yeah. Rob: Picard also was not a great show. sadly. Definitely. Aaron: No, so much potential. Yeah. Rob: Definitely. But I mean, the third season, if we're gonna talk Star Trek for a minute, I loved the third season of Picard. But it wasn't necessarily good either, it was just full of fan service, which I definitely Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Rob: love, but the story nothing about it was exceptional. I just like seeing all the casts back together again, pretty much. One Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Rob: last hurrah. Aaron: Yeah. I really did enjoy season three. I thought it was pretty good. Rob: I enjoyed it too. It wasn't good. I disagree with you. But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it as well. But I don't think I don't think it was very good. But that's fine. To each his own. Aaron: Okay, understood. Yeah, yeah. I haven't also I haven't gone back to rewatch it like I do other Star Trek shows. So not not fantastic. Rob: Me either. Yeah. Yeah. Some d I mean, some really sometimes we don't realize how bad something is because you're like me. We sit down, we watch something, we enjoy it. Like you're there for the moment. You don't really have time to think about it, analyze it, or notice all the flaws that you might on a repeat viewing. Yeah. Aaron: Yeah, you're just getting it. I think the only time we've walked out of a theater knowing a movie was bad was the last die hard. We stood in the lobby making fun of it. Like, that was just terrible. Yeah, that was rough. Yeah. Rob: Yes, we were making fun of that one while the credits were rolling. Yes. Yes. It was pretty bad. Pretty, pretty bad, yeah. but yeah, Nemesis, it was fine. it was Star Trek. It was Star Trek, hard Aaron: That's fine. Yeah. Rob: to can't hate on it too much. Right. Yeah. Aaron: Now I'm at Star Trek, it's amazing. So, all right. So I'm gonna take a little twist. for back in times. I don't think we've done this before. Refresh me if we have. Gonna talk about books. Comic books, not books. Ha. Ha ha. Rob: We have. Just kidding. I don't I don't know what you're doing. Yes. We've talked we've mentioned comics once or twice in passing, but nothing like no deep Aaron: Yeah, I- Rob: dives, just like, hey, this was happening. Aaron: Well, this is cool. So these aren't Rob: Yeah. Aaron: exact dates. So these are like round about end of year, December, November 2002. But Rob: Yeah. Cool. Aaron: there were some cool things here. And this is mostly this is a well, it's just DC and I mentioned for Image Comics. I didn't even jump into Marvel because whatever. But here in late 2002, Batman introduced Hush. Remember Hush? Rob: Yeah. Aaron: bandaged villain who we won't spoil it. If you all haven't read Hush and you want to, you should read that whole line. It was pretty cool. Rob: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It it it's a good story. I it's a I think it's like twelve episodes. It took like a full year to tell that story. you can buy in a couple hardcovers. Aaron: It did, yeah. Yeah, yep. Yep, written by Jeff Loeb and drawn by Jim Lee. That was pretty cool. It a good little turn. It was kind like when you started to see a real, I don't know, gritty turn for Batman, you think? Things got a little more noir, maybe. Rob: Yeah, I mean Frank Frank Miller definitely had the gritty Bat Aaron: He did. Rob: Batman stuff like a decade or two before that, but like the turn like the incontinuity Batman, I think you're right, kinda started getting

Yeah, yeah. Aaron: Right. Yeah. Yeah a little more of a nor our style to it. So it's pretty cool And then we also had Gotham Central Kicking up Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka Yeah, I found I found my graphic novel Rob: I like that book. Man, what a good book. Yeah. What a what a good book. Nice. Aaron: That and I'm like I need to read this I got Rob: Yeah. Aaron: the whole collection in it. I need to get it get it out Rob: Is that you do you have notes on who drew that? Aaron: Brewbaker, right? No, he wrote. I don't. Rob: No, he's a writer. They're both writers. Aaron: Yeah, it just said the creative team of Brewbaker and Greg Rucka. Rob: Yeah, they're both writers. They they Aaron: Yeah, you're right. Rob: I like I think Brewbaker started Aaron: Let me see. Rob: it and Rucca took it over. I think it was Michael something. I cannot remember his last name, but he drew a book for Brubaker as well called Scene of the Crime. Michael Lark? Is it Michael Lark? Aaron: my gosh, Michael Arka just looked it up. Yeah. Fantastic job. I'm at memories like Rob: Boom. Boom. Yeah, I love his art. He is Aaron: a steel trap. Rob: he is fantastic. I honestly I'd look him up fairly often. I do like I Aaron: Mm-hmm. Rob: look up I try to find original sketches or anything on eBay of his 'cause I love the style. He also Aaron: He's yeah, we'll flip it through Gotham Central. It looks amazing. Yeah. Rob: drew for Greg Rucca on that book Lazarus. Remember Lazarus? I love that book. What a good book. Image comics there as well. Yeah. Aaron: I do remember Lazarus. was fantastic. Yeah. man, that was really good. Yeah. Yep. it's fantastic. Rob: It was. And it was a great combination of art and writing. Like they both were Aaron: Yeah. Rob: equally as important in that book. Like they went together equally complemented as a good book should. Aaron: as it should, yeah, as one does. Rob: I yeah, as one does. Gotham Central. Gotham Central is a fantastic, like gritty crime series. We've used the word gritty already too much today. but Aaron: It's gritty. Rob: it is like the way they wrote it as a crime series was I love it. It's perfect. I love Ed Brubaker, he's one of my favorite writers, set him up for his independent books that he started to release after that with a with a lot of crime books. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: yeah, you got me in. You got me in a lot of those. I've got some of the graphic novels too for his stuff. Rob: He's good. Yep. Aaron: Pretty good. So then we had Vertigo. We had the start of Why the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan, who went on to do some cool stuff. Saga, yep, I was going to mention that one. Rob: Okay. Yeah. yeah. Saga. Yeah. They made a T V show out of Why The Last Man, I think it only lasted a season. Aaron: Yeah, I never watched it. All I remember is he doesn't have a belly button. I never read the comic either. So. Rob: I read I read a trade or two of the comic and I watched an episode of the T V series and I enjoyed it. I didn't stick with it. Aaron: and then image comics, man. So image comics was really reworking itself. So right around the end, maybe the start of 2000, somewhere around there, you remember the wild storm split off and like image Rob: Mm-hmm. Aaron: had that whole kind of shake up there. Rob: Is it? Aaron: but this is when they really started kicking off. Well, man who built image, honestly, Robert Kirkman coming in with invincible. And then later on, like in 2003, The Walking Dead. So Kirkman Rob: Nice. Yeah. Aaron: really put, I think, image on the map as their own little independent publisher. Rob: Yeah, those titles were huge. I don't even know if Invincible was huge when it first started. but Walking Dead sure was. That was a massive book. Yeah. Aaron: No. it blew up. It blew up. But the early 2000s, there was a zombie resurgence. You remember that? I mean, it was huge. So the timing was perfect. Rob: definitely. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: Absolutely perfect for that. yeah, so that's it. That's that's my back in time. There was we talked about literally every song, every movie on the list. There wasn't really much going on that we didn't already discuss, but I thought the comic book piece was pretty cool. So, yeah. Rob: Yeah. Yeah. I like hearing about that. For sure. I love it. We should Aaron: Yeah, I was disappointed there wasn't much going on for Superman. He didn't have a great art going. It was like one of those where somebody leaks his secret identity and his rogue gallery gets a hold of it and... Rob: after him until they reset continuity and everyone forgets who he is again. Aaron: Bright. Yeah. Yeah. Or you can take a page from the Christopher Reeve movies and he maybe he just kisses all the rogues and Rob: Right, yes. Aaron: mind erases them. Smoochy, smoochy, smoochy, smoochy. I'd love to see. It would, I was going to say. Rob: Mir Braniac, I must make out with you to make you forget me. That would make for a hilarious one-shot. Superman Superman kisses the DC universe. Aaron: Yeah, and they're all somehow squeezing orange juice Because I remember Lois Lane Rob: Is that what she was doing? Aaron: squeezing orange juice Yeah talking about you gotta get your vitamin C and all this stuff. I don't even know if that was the same scene That's just what I remember from it Ridiculous movies but classic Superman 1 & 2 definitely worth it Rob: that was a terrible moment. I was gonna say I actually really like Superman too. It's a really good movie. But that is one of the dumbest things ever, like one of the dumbest powers Aaron: Yeah, Yeah, Rob: to give him. Aaron: yeah. And they both have their flaws, like as I love Superman, the first one I've seen in a million times. I still fast forward when he takes Lois flying and they've got the weird internal monologue where Lois is like, can you read my mind? And like, I'm like, my gosh, fast forward. Like, I don't need this. This is so weird. And then he drops her. Like maybe he can read your mind and you

should be quiet because this is ridiculous. Rob: Yeah. Let him concentrate, woman. Aaron: Yep. So anyway, okay. Rob: That's hilarious. Okay. Well, thanks for the back in time. I really enjoyed that. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: I'm sorry to I probably extended it much longer than you wanted to. Aaron: Okay, I'm shocked that we got that much out of the repeated events of 2002. Rob: Yeah. Well, this is a tough episode because we've talked about the weeks before and after it since we're discussing these in the actual order Aaron: Mm-hmm. Rob: that they should have aired. And after this episode, they aired the original pilot called Serenity, which we already discussed in our first episode. So we talked about Maiden Manhattan, the two towers, in our first episode of the season. Exactly. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. The Santa Claus too. All of them. Yeah. Rob: And then recently we talked about what came out the week before this. So It is just in a tough spot. But that's okay. I did like hearing about some of that stuff though, including the movies. But hey, speaking of movies, it's been a while, but I think you're going to give us a movie in a minute today. You're gonna try. Aaron: I know I am and I am excited and I I'm gonna do my best We'll see how it goes. It's been a while folks Life's Rob: Yeah. Aaron: been busy, but I'm making time and I'm excited. I got to watch something Rob: Okay. Do you wanna while I'm pulling up my phone for you here, do you wanna give us a preview or tell us anything about it? Aaron: Yeah, yeah, well, I'll just tell you the title and then I'll take my minute to tell you about the movie, but it's spooky season. And I'm going to start watching all of the Popeye horror movies. So today was Popeye the Slayer Man. Rob: Okay. Okay. Are these are Aaron: Starring people. I didn't even look them up. Nobody's at this Rob: these recent? I don't I don't know much about these. You mentioned it the other day. Aaron: These are recent. I don't know the exact, I don't remember the exact year now. And let me look at. Rob: I dn I didn't realize there was more than one till just now. Aaron: Yeah, so this one came out in 2025. Popeye the Slayer Man from 2025 last year. Rob: Okay. Last year. Okay. Aaron: Yep. Rob: get my phone ready here. Are you ready, sir? Okay, Aaron: I am ready, sir. Rob: then I'm gonna give you a brief countdown starting with eight. Just kidding. Three, two, one, begin. Aaron: All right, so an abandoned factory where it looked like they made all kinds of things, but primarily spinach. We find out that the spinach, canned spinach is contaminated. And for some reason, the sailor is consuming it and he becomes Popeye the Slayer Man. These kids want to go to this factory. It's since been closed in abandoned. These kids, college students want to go and record a movie about the mystery Rob: Okay. Aaron: of the Slayer Man. And you know what? It doesn't go well. They all start dying hilariously, by the way. I mean, ridiculous deaths. We'll talk about some of those. At the end, they do find out that the spinach was contaminated. It was a huge cover up. The realtors don't get to sell anything because they keep dying every time they show up at the factory. We find out that the girl, one of the girls that shows up is actually Popeye's daughter. And Popeye is partially stuck in that factory because olive oil is the whistleblower that told everybody about the contaminated spinach. and she disappeared. So Popeye Rob: no. Aaron: was at the factory, starting the spinach and Rob: Time. Aaron: stuck around. And that's pretty much it. Some interesting things. So Rob: Yeah. Aaron: if I remember right in the cartoon, Olive Oil did work at a factory and Popeye worked on a dock near that factory. So this could be in continuity for the cartoons. Olive Oil whistle blows, she disappears. They didn't really explain why he stayed at the factory and started consuming the spinach and the spinach glows like you open a can of this and it looks like kryptonite. It's like glowing green. So this man who Rob: Sure, dig in. Aaron: wasn't he was a normal sailor looks at this and was like, yeah, I should definitely eat this forever. So I Rob: Yeah. Right. Aaron: turned into a grotesque Popeye type monster. The only thing he says through the whole movie, usually right before he kills somebody is. I am what I am. And then he kills you. But we didn't get a hook or anything like that. I know it was so disappointing. Rob: that's a shame. Yeah. Aaron: And you know, Popeye is near when you smell the pipe smoke. That's how you know you're about ready to die. Everybody was like, you smell that pipe smoke? Yep. Rob: Nice. The rich smell of tobacco. Yeah. Aaron: Smell that. What is and I'm dead. And two people hilariously killed themselves, which was amazing. Running from Popeye. Yeah. Rob: Nice. Nice. Always love that. Aaron: So yeah, but very interesting. Rob: Okay. Aaron: Not great, very low budget and Rob: Okay. Aaron: he pretty much killed people the same way through the whole movie, which was disappointing. Not a lot of variety there. yeah, that's it. Bye bye Rob: Mm. That is a bummer. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Sounds fun. Aaron: to Slayer Man. Rob: Yeah. Maybe I'll check it out. Aaron: You should. You won't. You won't. But you should. You could. Yep. Rob: Maybe I won't. I might, you never know. I could. I could not. No one can know for sure. Nope. All right. Shall we talk about our last episode of Firefly? Yeah. Aaron: Let's do it. It's sad. It's bittersweet, but we got Serenity. We got the movie coming up, which I'm super excited about. Yeah, but we can jump in. Rob: Very bittersweet. Yep. Yep. Yep. That'll be good. All right. Well, then let's talk about this. It's called Objects in Space. so this episode starts off with River kind of wandering around the ship. People are talking all over the ship. They're in pairs. People are talking. They're having a good time. We just kind of see the crew hanging out and being together. In the

middle of while they're talking, though, they might look at River and say something completely out of like not part of their conversation. And we don't really know if she is like reading their minds, because some of it is pretty mean. And Aaron: Yeah. Rob: it would be very weird, in my opinion, for Shepard Book to say the things that he did to her. so we don't know if she's just literally hallucinating. Or if she's reading minds or what, because they've kind of talked about this mind reading thing a little bit. They talk about it a lot more here, too. Aaron: Yeah, yeah, I took it as she was just being perceptive of their inner thoughts in the conversations they were in. So I don't think they were being mean to her specifically. Maybe her brother was. But like, Rob: Yeah, well like he was cause he was talking with Kaylee and he was basically Aaron: Mm-hmm. Rob: like reminiscing about the old days. And then when he sees River, he looks at her and he's like, And I'd still be there right now if it weren't for you. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: which could be a thought. But I forget exactly what it was that Shepard Book said, but it was downright mean and it was directed right at her. And he like his tone was harsh. Aaron: Well, well, I think it was, I think it was directed at Jane though, because Jane was talking about how shepherds are celibate and all this stuff. And Jane was asking some questions and I was like, Jane, that's wildly inappropriate to ask like anybody. And I, Rob: yeah. Aaron: and I am pretty certain that when River walked in is what she was perceiving or reading their minds was their inner thoughts. to each other based on that conversation. don't think Book was talking to River at all. I think he was responding to Jane how he would want, she just heard it. Yeah. So. Rob: She just took it that way. Yeah, I could see that. I mean, in the image, he was looking directly at her, but that could be just like you said, the way she is perceiving it. yeah, I could buy that. I could Aaron: Right. Yeah. Yeah. Rob: buy that. So all that's going on. she wanders down to the cargo hold and she sees a branch on the ground. And then we see the picture expands and there's like leaves everywhere. So we know it's something it's not literally a branch because like the ground is covered in leaves whereas it wasn't a second before. She's seeing things or interpreting things differently. She Aaron: Yeah. Rob: picks this branch up and she's looking at it and all of a sudden she kinda comes to like she comes awake and everyone is around her freaking out and she is holding a big old gun. And Mal gets it away from her. Turns out that it is like fully loaded and no safety. And she's just wandering around with there. So Everyone is just freaking out. She gets upset about the way everyone is acting, and she kind of goes storming off. Mal and Simon kind of talk about her, and like Mal is wondering if the treatments are working. Simon's trying to fix her, and Simon starts getting a little scientific. And Mal says, If I want a lot of medical jargon, I'll talk to a doctor. And Simon's like, Well, you are talking to a doctor. He's like, yeah. Aaron: Yeah. yeah. Rob: Well, be that as may. So they do a whole lot of talking Mal is talking and he says, We gotta be very careful out here. What if she got a gun? She shot through the hole of this ship, we'd be in serious trouble. We are all out here very far in space and we are all alone. And then we see Aaron: Are they? Rob: we go out into space and there is a spaceship just above theirs, kind of floating right behind them, someone tracking them. Aaron: Yeah. But in, in wash new, because right before he's at then the cockpit and he's like, okay. Rob: Well that's coming up after that. That's coming up after that, yeah. Aaron: Okay. I thought it was before, but wash new. I'll stop. I'll stop interrupting. Rob: Yep. Yeah, he he knows there is something weird going on. The guy is using like he's hiding in their heat trail basically to, you know, disguise his own ship there. So Wash can't quite see the ship, but he knows something is wrong. that ship and we find out very quickly that the guy flying it is a bounty hunter. We see him looking at some wanted ads. so we know and we can put it together with the description that he's a bounty hunter and he's looking for the Tam siblings, River and Simon. I find it kind of interesting. I think his ship kind of looks like Boba Fett's ship, the slave one. Yeah. Just the way it's designed, the way he sits up in it. Aaron: I thought the same thing. I thought the same thing. Yep. Rob: Yeah. So yes, at this point Wash is picking up some kind of weird heat signature. but he can't see the ship. Mal and Jane are kind of bickering, and they go through the bridge there. Zoe says something to the effect of Hey, we don't know that River has ever even picked up a gun before. we, you and I, we know that she has. Aaron: Yeah, we know better Rob: That's right. And so does Kaylee. And Kaylee kind of stumbles through and she ends up telling the whole story about when they rescued Mal from Niska and how River picked that gun up, closed her eyes, and shot three people dead with one shot each. And people don't know what to think about it as she's telling the story. Also, while she's telling the story, we see that other spaceship. Hovering above their ship, and we see the bounty hunter in a spacesuit, and he quietly jumps down from his ship to Serenity and just lands on top. So we realized, yeah, super quiet. You'd you'd hear Aaron: Yeah, super quiet. Nobody hears anything. Rob: Kachunk, 'cause he's gotta have like magnetic boots. Aaron: But yeah, because he's walking down the whole of serenity. And yeah, nobody hears Rob: Yes. The hole. Yes. Yeah. Aaron: that. Rob: Without magnetic boots, every time he pushed off for a step he'd go flying away into outer space. so there's a whole lot of talk in here for a while. They're talking about River, they're talking

about what to do with her, they're talking about is she possibly a psychic? What could the alliance need with a psychic? Aaron: Yeah. Rob: Well, they could do a lot with a psychic. Wash has a funny line here. He says, Are we talk really talking about psychics? It sounds like we're talking about science fiction. Zoe says, You live in a spaceship, dear. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: So fun, wacky fun. yeah. Aaron: the Jane gets real paranoid considering that she might have psychic abilities. You can see Jane's demeanor in this one because Rob: Yeah. Aaron: he doesn't say much, but you can tell he's like, what? Rob: He's he says something like I didn't put this in my notes, but he says something like, I don't want anyone seeing what's going on in my brain. And I think Zoe says, Trust me, nobody wants to see what's going on in your head. Something to that effect. It is pretty funny. Jane, you're right. He does not have a whole lot in this episode, but what he does is pretty funny. I'll just I'll just say it here. This is where he says one of my favorite Firefly quotes of all time. And I don't even remember the context of why he says it, but he says if wishes were horses, we'd all be eaten steak. Aaron: mistake. Rob: That is one of my favorite quotes. I say that all the time. Aaron: I have heard you say that before. He said that and I was like, Rob, I've heard Rob say that before. Rob: Yes. This is why. This is why. I love that line. It cracks me up. so they they don't make any decisions on what they're gonna do about River. Mal just says, you know, for now she should stay in her quarters. Let's all just get a good night's sleep. We'll think about this, we'll talk about it more tomorrow. everybody goes to their own cabins, basically, their own bunks, whatever, and go to bed. This is where we see the bounty hunter sneaking around the ship now. He's like all the way fully on board. I don't even know how that happens without setting off an alarm of Aaron: He, well, Rob: some sort. Aaron: he opened the hatch. Like you see him coming through the hatch. Rob: Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: Like nobody would know it. Like there's not an alarm or a sensor or anything. Rob: Right. Right. I mean, you ha you'd have to cycle an airlock to get through. Shouldn't they hear that? Shouldn't and like you said, there should be a sensor or an alarm. Aaron: something. Rob: Something to know that the s the airlock is cycling. You'd think that'd like an imminent danger warning type of thing. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: But whatever, it doesn't. He's walking around and he runs into Mal. You know, Mal is like the good dad of this crew. He is making sure all the lights are turned off. Everybody's in bed, although they're not. But he's still, you know, he's the last one to bed. And he runs into the bounty hunter. He's completely shocked. Bounty Hunter knocks him out, quietly drops him down into his room. Nobody else has woken up. He goes over, he does some finger buttoning on the finger pad, keypad. He boops the keypads Aaron: in boops the keypads. Rob: and locks the doors. Everybody that is in their bunks. is now locked in. though is right. Aaron: locked in which hilariously is not very many people Rob: Exactly. It's like not even half the crew. Aaron: It's like Mal, Zoe and Wash. That's it. And Jane. Yeah. You Rob: And Jane. B Jane sleeps for the entire rest of this episode. Aaron: know what? Yeah. He even says at the end, I missed everything. Rob: I missed everything. At least you got some action. I missed everything. Because he was sound asleep. Kaylee is not in her bunk. She is in the engine room doing some more work. And that's where the bounty hunter catches her. we realize now, this is like where he gets his first speaking lines, that he is not right in the head. Aaron: No. Rob: he says some things like maybe I came down the chimney. Maybe I've always been here. Then he asks Kaylee if she's ever been raped. Aaron: Yeah, I was messed up. Rob: Crazy, cra and I think he I mean, the implication is that he's threatening to do that. He says, I'm gonna tie you up and as long as I get what I want, I'm not gonna lay a finger on you. But the implication is he will if he has to. Aaron: Yeah. Don't yeah, don't mess around. Tell me what I want to know. Yeah, Rob: Yeah. Crazy. Aaron: he's insane. Rob: Yeah. next up he is out walking around, he runs across Shepard Book, jumps down some stairs, knocks him out as well. Aaron: Were you hoping that, I was really hoping that Book would like get to fight a little bit, but I think he took advantage and he knew Rob: Yeah. Not yet. Aaron: who Shepard was and took him out fast. Rob: Don't know if he did or not. I he knows something that we don't, yes, because later, I'll just say it here later. Aaron: He does, because he tells somebody, Rob: wild that he knows that and we all we Aaron: Yeah. Rob: suspect it, obviously. I mean, he I do believe he is a shepherd. he has dedicated his life, Aaron: he is, but he's got a past. Rob: but he has a past exactly. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: let's see. Simon does hear this. He wakes up, he goes out to look for River. she is not where she's supposed to be. I forgot to mention back when they were talking about her, she was listening. She was underneath the floor, standing up on some railings in the cargo hold, listening to the whole conversation taking place above Aaron: Mm-hmm. Rob: her with her head kind of cocked like that, just listen to the whole Aaron: Yeah. Rob: thing. So she heard how everyone was kind of scared of her and worried about having her on board. all the issues Aaron: Yeah. Rob: that they have with her. She heard the whole thing. That's important to note, I guess. Aaron: It is, Rob: So just an example again. Simon is talking to this guy Like it's just, what is wrong? Aaron: It's just weird. Rob: What is wrong in your head, bro? Aaron: Yeah. Rob: so Jubal, Early, and Simon are I said that like it was three people. Jubal Early and Simon are walking around the ship trying to

find river. they check the shuttles and at one point early here even licks a metal beam like he's sensing something of river. Aaron: That was weird. Rob: So like he we just gotta accept he is messed up. Yeah. Aaron: He's just a weird dude. Yeah. Rob: He questions Inara, he even hits her in the mouth, locks her in her shuttle. Aaron: I know. I feel like that wasn't needed. Rob: No, definitely not, but he is a bad man who later we learn that he does enjoy hurting people. Aaron: He does. Yeah. Rob: So eventually Early calls out to River. He's like, Hey, listen, I know you're on the ship somewhere. Come out, or I'm gonna kill your brother. And River here answers him through the comm system. She says that she knew that no one wanted her there because of what she heard. So she decided to just melt away. for the next while it's her, like she is playing mind games with Jubal early, talking to him. He's talking to her. He doesn't believe her for a while, although he eventually does come to believe this. but while she's talking to him, she is also using individual comms to talk to different people on the ship. So she talks to Kaylee, who is locked up in the engine room. She Talks her through getting herself free. She needs her to go unlock Mal, I think. She talks to Mal and she tells him her plan to escape, how this is all gonna work out. We don't know what it is yet, so I'm not gonna spoil it yet, even though I'm about to in five minutes. all this is going on. She eventually tells Jubal early. Well, eventually she says something about how everything is so clean in here. And he realizes, you're not in my head, you're in my ship. And we see the bridge of his ship and she is sitting up there giggling and laughing. She was looking at his pictures of him and his mom and talking about all these things that she shouldn't know, but she could because she's sitting Aaron: Yeah. Rob: right there in his home basically. Aaron: Yeah. But it's funny when she's talking about his history and his past and all the terrible things that he'd done. I was, Rob: Yeah. Aaron: cause I don't remember this episode and I was like, my gosh, she's reading this dude's mind. But no, she's just on his ship looking through all of his stuff. You Rob: Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Aaron: know, and I think, but I think early thinks about that for a minute. He's like, this lady's off a rocker and she's reading my mind. And how does she know all this stuff? Like, Rob: yeah. Definitely. Aaron: so. Rob: Absolutely. River tells Jubal that she's gonna go with him. She says, you know what? I these people don't want me here. I need to let them be safe and to live their lives. You come back to your ship, I will go with you. He's like, Okay, finally something goes my way. Simon, and this is all part of her plan for the escape. Simon can't let this go, so he attacks early, who pulls his gun out and shoots him in the leg. which kind of ties back to an earlier moment. He asks Simon, he's like, You ever been shot?

It's weird how he asks people if they've ever been criminalized in these various ways. And he's Aaron: hurt. Yeah. Rob: like, You ever been shot? If you're a doctor, you're gonna be operating on people. It seems like you should be shot, so you know what it feels like. Aaron: So you know what kind of pain you're putting people in. Rob: Yeah. Now he shoots him and he's like, well, now you know what it feels like, don't you? Like he's doing him a big favor. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: so Jubal's leaving, he's gonna go head back over to his ship. Simon attacks him again. They fight it out. Jane is sleeping right underneath this, he finally hears something and he stirs. He reaches over, he grabs the sheet beside his bed, pulls it off the wall. We see all his guns lined up there, and he covers himself up with that sheet and snuggles down and goes back to sleep. Aaron: Yep. Rob: early kicks Simon's butt. Simon, I would say, is kind of jacked for a nerdy doctor, but Aaron: Yeah, you'd expect him to do more. Rob: you would expect to do a little more, but he's not a trained fighter or anything against Aaron: Yeah. Rob: a fearsome bounty hunter who river warns like Zoe and Jane at some point wake up, but she's warning them. She's like, You can't handle him, he's too fast for you. You cannot do Aaron: he's too fast. Yeah. Rob: it. Just leave it alone, no guns. so Early leaves the ship, he's standing out on the hole, in my mind, still s magnetized boots, right? And he's looking up at his ship, he's about to go back to it when all of a sudden we see another figure in a spacesuit step up. It is Mal. He left the ship and has been waiting. That was his part of the plan here. He says something quippy to Jubal Early and then just shoves him, pushes him out into space off of his ship. Aaron: gone. Rob: He sails right past his own ship and keeps on going. Aaron: He bounces off part of it. He hits part of it and tumbles some more. Yep. Rob: Yeah. Yep. Boing keeps on going. River jumps back down to his ship, the Serenity, and Mal grabs her. He tells her, you know, you ain't quite right. which is funny because that she said that to Early earlier in the episode. She's You're not quite right, Jubil. so we get back down the ship. Simon is walking Zoe through surgery on himself. Inara wants to know if there's any chance that Early will make it. Mal says he didn't have much air left. Odds are pretty, pretty slim. He goes in to take a look at Inara's lip. She pulls away, stops him, and she Aaron: Yeah. Rob: leaves. They even talked earlier in this episode a little bit about her leaving the ship when she's going to tell everybody else. That was like their conversation at the beginning. so that was all that. people are hanging out, they're being a family again. Honestly, the ending of the episode is kind of a nice way, nice note to end the series on. If we have to end it like this, River and Kaylee basically are playing jacks. it's just a bunch of nice moments for everybody here. We do cut away, we see. Jubal early, he's floating out of space, and he says, Well, here I am. And that's where the episode ends. so I agree. I hundred Aaron: I think he would have come back. Yeah. Rob: percent agree. I think, in my opinion, that was him, that was like a radio call to someone to come pick him up. Here I am, I'm here, come find me. And I think I think he had a partner or somebody else who was gonna pick him up. That's my opinion. No idea for sure, but Also, in TV shows like this, if you leave a character alive and we do not physically watch them die, there will always be a chance that they come back to life. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: Or that they make another appearance. I mean, he's clearly not dead yet. We don't see him die. What's to say he died? Yeah. So what I leave out. What do you want to talk about here? Aaron: I think you hit most of it. think I really, my favorite parts of this were at the very beginning when river's walking through the ship and she's gleaming their internal thoughts. Even when Mal and Inara are talking and they're whispering about Inara leaving the ship and you know, their internal thoughts are just about how they care for each other. And they won't like they're just not saying what they want to say. And I had I had a moment of like Rivers would be perfect on every CW show. Because nobody ever wants to just tell each other how things are. But if River was there, you would just know and everybody would know and everything would be fine. So I just tell him you care. Yeah. Rob: Yeah. I know it could solve all the problems. Yep. Aaron: So but yeah, I think I mean, the episode was a lot of talking. Jubals costume. His space suit, probably the best costume in the show so far. Rob: Better than the starship troopers rip off soldiers that we had way back in the train job. Aaron: And the train job. Yeah, definitely. It Rob: Yeah, agreed. Aaron: just looked like they put some money into it. You know, do think they were going for their own? Rob: Yeah. Plus the ship was kinda cool. Aaron: Yeah, his ship was pretty cool. I wonder if they were going for like a Boba Fett feel for him. Give him a cool because they call it armor. River calls it armor. It's not just a spacesuit. It's armor. Rob: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Aaron: So. Rob: Yeah. He was I really like the like how crazy he was compared with River. Like you put two people with mental problems basically as the two main characters of this episode pitted against each other. I really liked I just really liked it. He's Aaron: Yeah, it's fun. Rob: he says a lot of weird and wild stuff and he's out there. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: It's a lot of fun. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. It was good. I like this one. Rob: There was there was a moment, you know, you've kind of been tracking our Kaylee and Simon relationship here. That's your favorite part Aaron: Mm-hmm. Rob: of this whole series. when last we saw them in the best little whore house in space, Kaylee says something like she's talking about the boy whores,

and she's like, Well, it's not like there's anyone else lined up to examine me with a look over at Simon, because he wants to go examine Pedaline, the pregnant Aaron: Yeah. Rob: lady. And you could tell that there is still some tension in their relationship. But when this episode kicks off, they're like totally flirty. yeah. Yeah. Aaron: he's she's got her legs on his lap and he's like rubbing her rubbing her legs and stuff. Rob: And she says, like he's talking about like an initiation thing he had to go through when he got his medical degree or something. He's like he he had to get naked up on top of a statue and sing a song. He's like, Can you picture that? And she's like, hmm, picture you naked. It's gonna take a lot of thought. To picture that, which makes me wonder, is she being facetious? Does she mean she knows what he looks like naked? Has that Aaron: Yeah. Rob: already happened here? Then they just kind of skipped over it. But they're clearly kind of they're they're back I don't know I don't know if I want to say they're together, but they are clearly interest interested again in each other once this kicks off. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. And I don't I don't think they had probably been physical yet because when they leave the conversation about River and everybody goes their separate ways, they're talking in one of the hallways Rob: Yes. Aaron: and he Simon almost kisses her. But Rob: Yes. Aaron: Book walks by and they stop. So I think that was Rob: Yes. Aaron: going to be their first kiss. So I don't think they're. But it's also weird because these episodes Rob: I'm with you. Aaron: weren't released and so it's like, how do you know when was what was happening and where and yeah. Rob: Yeah, it's a little confusing. We j we did just watch them in the correct order though, so what we saw, that's how they were written. That's how it went. Yeah. Aaron: Yeah, it's just a weird that. Yeah, it's just a big jump to go from. You know, not wanting to really admit to Rob: Yeah. Aaron: it to just being cuddled up on the couch, so. Rob: I agree. when they after Shepard Book interrupts them and they go to their own separate ways, Kaylee says, Don't let the space bugs bite, and then was like, that was dumb. What am I doing? What am I saying? But I thought it was a funny line. She's funny. She's adorcable, as they say. Yeah. Aaron: un-dorkable. Rob: Isn't that a thing? Is that what the kids say? Aaron: I don't think any of the kids say that, but I don't know. Rob: It's a thing. That's a thing. I know it's one it's a very minor line, but when Jubal says that ain't a Shepherd, like I love that part just for what it teases for Shepherd Book. And again, we never get like Aaron: Yeah. Rob: a full Shepherd Book centric episode, but man Aaron: I know I was I had when I saw Shepherd and I knew it was coming I knew Jubal was gonna go and confront him I was like are we gonna get to see like an awesome fight scene right now I know he just comes swinging Rob: One kick. Very Aaron: down the stairs and knocks him out I was like that's lame Rob: Yeah. Yep, I know. They probably didn't have time for much more. It's funny during the resolution when everyone's kinda hanging out and chit-chatting, Shepard Book says, I feel like such a fool. And Jane says, All them years of priest training to get taken out by one bounty hunter Like, yeah, you've been training to be a priest. What makes you think you should have you know been able to fight a bounty hunter like him? Very funny. Aaron: Yeah, I don't think... Yeah, I don't know that Jane has even a clue that Book might have a different past. You think so? Rob: he definitely does. He definitely does. Jane is the one who suspects it more than anyone else. 'Cause he's always like, Yeah, he's Aaron: Does he? Has he said something? Rob: he's the one who always says, Preacher, one of these days you gotta tell us why a priest knows so much about crime. Like he said that exact line two Aaron: You're right Rob: or three times through this whole series. Like multiple times he said the exact same sentiment. Aaron: Yeah, you're right. Yeah. Rob: Yeah. So all right, well what's your what's your review? What do you think of this one? Aaron: Mm-hmm So I've been going back and forth I think Just because I really enjoy the interaction between Jubal and River And I really like the start of this episode. I keep going as a two and a half or three two and half three I'm gonna give it three three crazy Ivans and Rob: Okay. Nice. Aaron: it was just fun to see What River goes through and you start to get like I got a really good feeling for how she feels like rejected not accepted Like she's the outcast, but people are just being forced to care for her, but they don't want to. it's like, that's a really awkward situation for her, you know, because she's, she doesn't really even know what's going on. She didn't know she picked up a gun. She thought it was a stick, but nobody else realizes what she, how she saw it and what her perception was. So I bad for her. Yeah. Yeah. How about you? Rob: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. With you. Yeah. Well, you know, this one, like it's kind of crazy that we got to the end of the series here. This is one of the only like River centric episodes that we Aaron: Mm-hmm. Rob: got, you know? There have been a couple others that focus on her, but they still tend to rely on other characters just as much. Like the Ariel episode where they broke into the hospital. That was really more about Simon and Jane Aaron: Yeah. Rob: than it was about River. So there's just not A ton of river in this series up to this point. She'll get hers in the movie, trust me. but I like the way in this one that they kind of tease her abilities here, with her not actually having any abilities present in this episode. It's not like she's a full-on psychic or anything. They hint at it and they talk about like the people are talking about it, and like everyone is talking about her possible psychic abilities,

you know, leading us to believe her. The way that it's written and the way that's done, we believe her when she talks about how she melts away into the ship. You know, to some some degree, we're Aaron: Yeah. Rob: wondering how much of that is possible. Like, is it possible? We don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. It's just mysterious enough. Rob: it is. But she does use her brain to get out of this situation that they found themselves in here in this episode. So I do think this is a good episode. I really do, I really like this one. It's not one of the stronger ones though. Over the course of this series, my least favorite episodes tend to be the ones that rely primarily on just one or two characters. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Rob: And this one, most of the people are asleep for a good portion of this Aaron: Yeah. Rob: episode, or they're just talking. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: so that is kind of a downer to me. I like the ones that like fully involve everybody as much as possible. You get to see the whole ensemble. I really like Jubal early. I like him as a guest star. I really do think that if this series had gone on, He would have shown up again. He would have come back. also going from this episode to the movie, I just gotta say, I mean, in the movie, there is an assassin trying to get on their ship and get what's her name? River back. Like it's that part is the exact same storyline. So I have always gotten confused going from this episode into the movie. it is a little confusing to me, honestly. Always has been. I think I've got it this time around though. But Like clearly, like that role maybe could have come back to early, Juba early, if it had been done another way. Maybe that would have been his character coming back around in the Aaron: Yeah. Rob: long run. So, but this guy, like he's got some serious mental issues, and he reminds me a lot of River himself. And I think that makes him a very interesting foil to her here in this episode. So I do think he would have come back. I gave this the exact same crazy icon score that you did, three out five. So Aaron: Okay. Rob: there are some downsides to it, but still. Very fun. Lots of cool stuff here. So I thought it was really neat. I like this one. Aaron: Good one. They're all good ones. Rob: Yeah. They are. Aaron: So next time we're jumping into Serenity Rob: Yeah. Aaron: to the movie. Rob: Do you have a description for us for the movie? Aaron: Serenity from September 30th, 2005. The crew of the ship Serenity tried to evade an assassin sent to recapture Telepath River. Rob: Nice. Yeah, sounds very similar Aaron: TV guides, Rob: to this episode. Aaron: it does. And TV guides have way better descriptions, so. Rob: their description for this movie would have been like a paragraph or two long and Aaron: Yeah. Rob: riddled with errors. Yeah. Yeah. No. Aaron: Yeah, it's too bad. That one wasn't funny at all. Rob: I think the big thing that this description leaves out is one of the things that the show teased starting way back in the train job. I think. Was it the train job? No, it might have been the next episode. But the Reavers. The Reavers return finally. You Aaron: Yeah. Yep. Rob: know, we saw them briefly in one episode. It was Actually Serenity, the original pilot, featured the Reavers. That's where they did the crazy Ivan that we've been using all season Aaron: Yep. Rob: to escape the Reavers. And then we had the episode Bushwacked, where they found the ship where the the Reavers had attacked. But otherwise they have not made much of an appearance and barely ever even mentioned. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: they come back fully in the movie. Can't wait. Can't wait. So I love this movie. I am stoked. To watch it again and talk about it with you. totally. Aaron: Kind of sad at the same time. Rob: Absolutely. Absolutely. But every Aaron: So. Rob: great saga has to have an end. And this. Yeah. That its ending or the movie. Yeah. Yeah. I know. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Absolutely. That's Aaron: I know, but it's just a real bummer. But I'll watch it anyway. No, the movie. Yeah, the movie is really good, but there's some sad, sad parts. So. Rob: the way it goes. There are definitely like I've got there's a couple book series. That I've read where the author has passed away. And I've read through the entire series. I have not read the last book in, I can think of at least two series off the top of my head. I have not read the last book that the author has written in these series because I just don't want it to end. And as long as I know that there is one more book in that series by the original author, some some of these have had other authors pick up and continue. But as long as I know that there's one more left out there, there is like I have something, you know, literary wise to look forward to. And I could see almost doing that with this, I could always like, you what? I don't know that I won't ready to watch that yet, but I've already seen it and I'm gonna watch it again. Aaron: Yeah, that's very sentimental. I didn't know you did that. Rob: Yeah, yeah. I do. Yeah, eventually. Aaron: Well, you gotta read them. At some point. Rob: Eventually. I what I've done is I'm reading through the entire series again. So there's a Aaron: Gotcha. Rob: there's a police procedural series called the Eighty Seventh Precinct Novels by Ed McBain. There's I think fifty-five books in the series. And at one point I started reading them like when they were in the when they were published in the eighties. I didn't read till fifteen, twenty years ago, but they were mid eighties. I picked the series up like halfway through. And I read all the way right up to the very last book. And then I stopped. And then I went back to the very beginning to start over and read the whole series. So now I've read all the original ones. I've caught up to where I was reading, but I'm going to finish again all the way through to the end, straight through in order. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: So eventually when

I get there, and I've kind of taken like a year or two off from that reread. But when I get Aaron: Yeah. Rob: to it, when I get to the end this time around, I will finish it and probably shed a tear or two. Aaron: yeah, Rob: Yeah. They're good. Aaron: that's pretty cool, though. Rob: Yeah. So but Serenity, great movie. Can't wait to Aaron: Yeah. Rob: watch it and talk about it with you and share it with our listeners. Aaron: So super excited to watch it. Rob: Yeah. Yep. So this has been our penultimate episode of this season. Episode fourteen of fifteen. Yeah. I Aaron: Ultimate. Yeah. Rob: used it last week because it was the penultimate episode of Firefly. Now Aaron: Right? Rob: it's the penultimate episode of season four of our show. But it sure is. Yeah. Aaron: Yep, it's just a good word. I don't think I'd heard that forever until the last week and today. So do it. Rob: Yeah. I'm gonna use it every chance I get, which isn't weirdly, not that often. Aaron: Yeah. Rob: Yeah, so okay, good time. We got anything else to talk about here today? Aaron: Cool. No, think, know, thanks for listening everyone. Make sure you're out there, like, subscribe, check out the show, share it with your friends, do all the things. We appreciate everybody that checks it out. Rob: Yep. Tell all your friends. Aaron: Yep. All right. Well, I have been one of your hosts, Aaron. Rob: I've been your other host, Rob. Thanks for listening to Broadcast Obituaries. And remember, be excellent to each other. Aaron: Bye everyone. Rob: Yeah. They have the worst Diet Coke, at least the one by my house. This is the worst. Yeah. Aaron: they're terrible. Yeah, the Wendy's soda is awful. And it's even worse if you go in to eat because they've got those freestyle machines. Most things are just worse. They're terrible. Like the soda doesn't even taste like soda. Just a regular Rob: Ugh. Yeah, I agree. Nah. Aaron: Coke doesn't even taste like a regular Coke. Rob: No, they're they're worthless. I hate them. Aaron: Yeah, it's like they're designed to jip you on the syrup or something. It's mostly just carbonated water. Rob: Definitely. Yep. Give that water. Water's free. Aaron: That's right. Rob: Blow some bubbles in it and put it in a cup for Aaron: crazy. Rob: Yeah, it sucks. I went because they have they've had that pretzel bun sandwich lately, the pub burger. Aaron: Mm, yeah. Rob: I was really excited to get that. They don't have it anymore. So Wap wem. No good. Aaron: Hmm. That's sad. Bomp bomp. Bomp bomp. If you get a chance, you got to look up as an old Sega. I think I was on Super Nintendo to Sega Genesis, but I had an old game called Boogerman. It was Boogerman, a pick and flick adventure. And you play Rob: I've heard of that. Yeah. That's hilarious. Aaron: a janitor that turns into a superhero who flicks boogers. That's like his main power. And as you're playing through the game, You can drink milk so you can start hawking loogies. Rob: Smart. Aaron: And you can get chili peppers so you can also fart and it's just a gas. But if you get a chili pepper, you can use it to fly because then fire comes out and you can fly and you fight. You fight and kill like scabs and pus creatures. And I guess fantastic game. It's so good. Rob: That's so nasty. That's so nasty. It sounds awesome. Aaron: Yeah, it was great. Booger Man. Rob: Boogerman. Boogerman. I like it.